It’s unlikely Arenado will participate given that he will be competing for a roster spot in spring training. As it stands, the Rockies have three third baseman, possibly four: Jordan Pacheco, Chris Nelson, Ryan Wheeler and perhaps DJ LeMahieu, who played primarily at second base last year. Arenado was given a chance to make the team last spring, but struggled in early games.

The preliminary roster includes extra players still weighing their options, or in some cases, nursing injuries. Several Rockies are candidates participate in the WBC including shortstop Troy Tulowitzki (USA) and Carlos Gonzalez (Venezuela). Tulowitzki must be cleared in a workout this week to be added to USA prelim roster announced Thursday.

Adam Ottavino (Italy) and Jeff Francis (Canada) have both declined to play, choosing to stay with the Rockies during the spring.

Arenado is coming off a roller-coaster season. After leading minor league baseball in RBIs and winning Arizona Fall League MVP honors, Arenado hit .285 with 12 home runs and 56 RBIs in 134 games for Double-A Tulsa. He struggled with failure, and drew the ire of Rockies’ management for what they viewed as inconsistent effort. Just 21 years old, something often overlooked in his evaluations, Arenado responded with a strong finish, and believes last year’s experience will make him better.

“What I learned was that I have to control things I can control. And have fun and be confident,” Arenado said from California, where he’s training this offseason. “God blessed me to play this game. I’ve got to enjoy it.”

Patrick, a third-generation Colorado native, is back for his second stint covering the Rockies. He first covered the team from 2005-2009, helping chronicle “Rocktober” in 2007 and also following the team’s playoff run in 2009.

Nick Groke has worked at The Denver Post since 1997, as a sports reporter, city reporter, entertainment writer and digital editor and producer, among other newsroom posts. He also writes regularly about boxing, soccer, MMA and NASCAR.